WALDEGRAVES WALK

A male yellowhammer perched on a tree alongside Cross Lane on the edge of West Mersea on Monday 28th. There was no sign of the handful of other yellowhammers seen in this area a fortnight earlier.

A flock of 100 brent geese was grazing close to the caravans in the Waldegraves Holiday Park and a little egret was by one of the ponds.

Twenty sanderling were feeding along the Waldegraves beach at high tide and another 15 were by the Youth Camp beach.

Among the 400 brent geese that flew from one of the wheat fields onto the nearby East Mersea boating lake, was the regular black brant on Monday. A greenshank flew over the Rewsalls marshes calling, 95 curlew, 15 teal, 16 little grebes and a black-tailed godwit were also noted. A male marsh harrier quartered the back of the marshes and drifted north over the fields.

At the East Mersea Vineyard were 25 redwing, 5 fieldfares and a green woodpecker.

A great northern diver was seen from the Esplanade on Monday morning by Steve Entwistle, later at Coopers Beach 120 golden plover and 50 curlew were on the Rewsalls marshes.

In the afternoon Steve visited the Shop Lane seawall area and watched eight marsh harriers, three buzzards and a short-eared owl on Langenhoe marshes. Also a great white egret, possibly two birds, five red-breasted mergansers, pair of pintail, bar-tailed godwit, 25 black-tailed godwits, with a stonechat and yellowhammer by the seawall and a green woodpecker in Shop Lane.

A grey plover stood on mud along the Strood Channel on Sunday 27th. At the West Mersea Hard the black brant was resting with the pale-bellied brent goose and 20 dark-bellied brent geese. A great crested grebe was in the Mersea Quarters.

A female blackcap and song thrush were in the Firs Chase garden on Sunday morning.

At Cudmore Grove on Sunday Steve Entwistle saw 50 greylag geese, male pintail, three pochard on the park pond and a green woodpecker heard calling.

Martin Cock on Sunday late afternoon counted 16 marsh harriers going into roost on Langenhoe Point as did two male hen harriers together. In the Pyefleet were eleven red-breasted mergansers and a stonechat was by the Shop Lane seawall.

Michael Thorley reported a sparrowhawk and a marsh harrier on Sunday afternoon in the Gyants Marsh area.

The sun was shining during a walk along the Maydays seawall on Saturday 26th, where birds of note included 15 pintail, six red-breasted mergansers along the Pyefleet, while seven marsh harriers and three buzzards seen on the ranges and Reeveshall. Feeding on Reeveshall were 1000 brent geese, 300 lapwing, 100 golden plover, two greylag geese and 500 starlings.

Smaller birds at Maydays included a pair of stonechats, 20 corn buntings, two reed buntings and three Cetti's warblers calling from different locations.

Andy Field photographed this air-borne clam with a black-tailed godwit attached to it, whilst he walked the Reeveshall seawall on Saturday 26th. Also noted by Andy was the male hen harrier flying low along the seawall, 7 marsh harriers, two buzzards, great white egret flying off Reeveshall, 1500 brent geese, two Canada geese and two greylag geese.

Martin Gathercole walking the Island on Saturday reported seeing the male hen harrier on Langenhoe marshes and also a red kite flying over Cudmore Grove country park.

One of two great white egrets seen flying off Reeveshall on its way to the Langenhoe marshes on Friday 25th. Also feeding on Reeveshall were 800 brent geese, four greylag geese, 300 lapwing, 150 golden plover, 500 starlings. Along the Pyefleet channel were six red-breasted mergansers, pair of pintail, two great crested grebes, 500 dunlin and a single ringed plover. Five marsh harriers, three buzzards and a sparrowhawk were also seen.

A kestrel perched on the thatched roof of the Pollards house in Shop Lane on Friday 25th.

On Thursday 24th along the Strood channel were a red-breasted merganser, 800 brent geese, with a shag seen from the Hard. A male hen harrier was seen briefly hunting over the rough grasslands of Ray Island before it dropped down out of view. A passage buzzard flew over the Strood fields and headed west over to the mainland.

A red kite was seen flying from the back of Ray Island over to the Peldon side and then slowly heading west towards Copt Hall on Wednesday 23rd. A buzzard perched on a bush on the Strood fields, 800 brent geese, 120 teal, 50 wigeon, 70 golden plover flew over, four black-tailed godwits were along the channel. Nine corn buntings flew about and landed in the grass field, while three rock pipits, three reed buntings and a linnet were also noted.

A pair of red-legged partridge was seen in Dawes Lane on Wednesday morning by Steve Entwistle.

A pair of great white egrets was photographed by Andy Field along the ditch inside the Reeveshall seawall on Wednesday. Andy also noted six or seven marsh harriers, three buzzards, 600 brent geese, two red-breasted mergansers and a snipe, also two song thrushes singing in Shop Lane.

At the end of Wednesday afternoon a murmuration of over 2000 starlings was watched swirling over the houses at the top end of Oakwood Avenue, before they dropped down in batches to roost behind the solar panels on the flats there.

A redshank was photographed alongside the Strood seawall as the tide came in on Wednesday 23rd. 

A red kite was seen flying from the back of Ray Island over to the Peldon side and then slowly heading west towards Copt Hall on Wednesday 23rd. A buzzard perched on a bush on the Strood fields, 800 brent geese, 120 teal, 50 wigeon, 70 golden plover flew over, four black-tailed godwits were along the channel. Nine corn buntings flew about and landed in the grass field, while three rock pipits, three reed buntings and a linnet were also noted.

A pair of red-legged partridge was seen in Dawes Lane on Wednesday morning by Steve Entwistle.

Caroline White was lucky to find this snow bunting in her garden in Dawes Lane on Tuesday 22nd.

The bird stayed around for about half and hour being watched by Caroline. The bird was seen nearby on Saturday in the allotments car park. Very unusual for a snow bunting to be seen away from the beach or seawall here on Mersea.

A pair of pochard was on the country park pond on Tuesday 22nd, a third bird was also present here too.

Eight tufted ducks were also on the park pond as were eight gadwall, while a water rail and a Cetti's warbler were heard calling. A pair of buzzards circled a few times over the pond and a pair kestrels were near their oak tree at the back of the fields.

A male hen harrier flew low over the park's grazing fields as it headed north-west, flushing lots of birds.

Numbers of birds on the grazing fields have built up recently with 500 wigeon, 70 greylag geese, 100 teal, 20 curlew, 70 black-tailed godwits, eight stock doves with 20 snipe flying about after the harrier flushed them. There were 700 brent geese feeding by the Golfhouse while on the mud were 200 dunlin, 10 ringed plover, 30 lapwing, and two great crested grebes in the Colne.

Feeding with a flock of blue tits was a goldcrest just north of the country park on Tuesday.

Steve Entwistle reported seeing near the Golfhouse on Tuesday two mistle thrushes, five meadow pipits, water rail and Cetti's warbler both heard, a male marsh harrier on Langenhoe Point. Off the Esplanade were at least three great northern divers and three great crested grebes.

Martin Cock saw four buzzards, marsh harrier and a sparrowhawk on Tuesday during a walk from Shop Lane to Meeting Lane.

Shaun Bater enjoyed seeing this red squirrel at his bird feeders in his garden in Estuary Park Road on Tuesday.